


Anything it Takes to Make You Stay

by orphan_account



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 2x21 reaction, Barriscowest, F/M, Hurt and comfort, M/M, Multi, OT3, Pining, Pre-OT3, everyone is confused, semi-hiatus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-08 23:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6880180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They love each other, isn't that enough?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anything it Takes to Make You Stay

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to write my reaction to Cisco and Iris kicking butt and saving their boyfriend. Set after 2x21. 
> 
> Btw, my tumblr is barrysramon.tumblr.com

Iris doesn’t know what this is. She’s holding Barry’s hand, he’s running his fingertips across the back of her knuckles, it feels nice. She hasn’t really felt this at ease in a long time.

Not that she feels _at ease_ right now- Caitlin’s still gone, Zoom’s still out there, everyone’s still in danger. She’s anything but at ease.

But she feels safe, momentarily, sitting here with Barry, the quiet air still around them. She’s thankful for it.

Barry clears his throat, “Cisco said you two worked together to pull me out of the speed force.”

“Yeah, we,” Iris says, “We did.”

He smiles, looks off distantly for a second, then speaks again. “You saved me.”

“We had to. You’re important to us, we _love_ you.”

Barry’s head drops a little, and she hears him breath in, quietly. Iris’ eyes prickle a little, for whatever reason. Not enough for her to start crying, but enough for her to feel like she _could_ cry. She missed him.

He takes a final breath in, seemingly gathering his thoughts. “I love you guys too.”

She nods. She rubs the back of his hand, there’s tension in him that wasn’t there a second ago. For the time being, she doesn’t ask why. She doesn’t even really have to.

* * *

Cisco gets a text from Iris. He checks the time- it’s around 2 in the morning, he must have let the time get away from him, he does that sometimes.

 _Open the door_ , it says, _I need to talk to you._

Brow furrowing, he makes his way across the floor of his apartment. Clearly it’s something important, or she wouldn’t have come in the middle of the night. Iris isn’t usually like that.

When he pulls the door open, Iris is leaning against the frame, looking disheveled and kind of upset. She raises her head to look at him, and he raises an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” she says, “But I- I _have_ to talk to you, Cisco.” She sounds desperate and scared, and Cisco nods and gestures for her to come inside. He’d never turn her away, no matter how late or unexpected. It’s Iris.

He sees her walk cautiously, and it piques his interest. He wonders if something is wrong, if that’s why she looks so distraught.

They sit down next to each other on his sofa, knees touching, shoulders leaning towards each other. Cisco swallows the lump trying to form in his throat.

“What’s up?” He asks softly, and her breath stutters slightly as if she’s just now fully noticing his presence, confusing him further.

He brings a hand up and rubs her shoulder comfortingly, “Iris?”

She brings her eyes up to meet his, and then brings her hand up to close gently around his wrist, startling him. 

“Iris?” He repeats, she still doesn’t respond.

He shifts slightly, but not so much as to jostle her hand away from his arm. Iris closes her eyes in thought, and then opens them as though coming to a decision.

“I told Barry I love him.” She says.

Cisco nods slowly, not expecting her to say that. He ignores a distant pang in his heart, the uneasiness in his stomach. How he feels doesn’t matter right now- Iris looks hurt, Iris looks scared, _that’s_ what matters.

“You,” she breathes, “You love him the same, don’t you?”

He pulls his hand away from where their hands had gravitated towards each other subconsciously. He feels sick.

“How- how do you know that?” He stutters, eyes wide.

Iris seems to chase him from one end of the couch to the other. He feels like he’s suffocating.

“Cisco, it’s okay.” She says, and he shakes his head vigorously.

“No, Iris, it isn’t _okay._ ”

She cocks her head, “Why not?”

He laughs with no mirth, “Well, for starters-” And then he stops himself.

She grabs his hand and rubs soothing circles into it. “Cisco.”

“Iris…” He drags his free hand down the side of his face, turning in the other direction and wishing he was alone.

“Look at me,” she says, and he does. “Cisco, it’s _me._ You can tell me anything.”

He considers her words, bites the inside of his cheek until he tastes the coppery sensation of blood on his tongue. There’s no way out. Might as well admit to it now.

“Iris, he loves you.” Cisco sighs, and she looks into his eyes so intently that he thinks for a second that she might just be looking straight at his soul. That would explain the concentrated expression hanging off her face. He squirms under Iris’ gaze. 

“He loves you,” he continues, “He always has. And he’s never going to stop. It doesn’t matter how I feel because his heart is- it’s… somewhere else.” Cisco hears his voice crack and _damn it,_ he wasn’t supposed to cry.

She shakes her head but doesn’t say anything.

Cisco closes his eyes and leans his head against the back of the couch. He has to fight the tears threatening to rise to the surface. 

It happens fast, suddenly Iris is cautiously coming closer, and she cups his cheek silently. He looks at her inquisitively.

“Iris?”

Her hands shake, he can tell she isn’t sure what she’s doing. Cisco isn’t too sure either, he’s really confused.

“Cisco…” She whispers, and he can _feel_  her breath ghost across his cheek- that’s new. Her breath smells like coffee.

He suddenly remembers, and feels guilty, “But, Barry…”

Iris nods. “Barry.”

And then she smiles. And then she kisses him.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
> 
> (Not sure about when more chapters are coming. It's the summer now, and I have tons of free time, but no motivation. But I swear this will be updated eventually. Please don't give up on me!)


End file.
